Eli
by TotalCSIfan
Summary: Nick Stokes has been asked to babysit, will this experience add to his love of children or will it make him think twice about children?


Disclaimer-I own nothing of CSI-This story is purely for entertainment!

**Eli**

Jackie Stokes had always loved babies, she found them adorable. Even as a little girl, she would peek in strollers when she was out and about just so she could see the baby inside. So it stands to reason that she was excited when Tina Brown, Warrick Brown's ex wife, had called her and asked her to babysit their fourteen- month old son Eli.

Her husband Nick was excited too. Nick still missed Warrick terribly, they had been best friends for years, they were always together, Warrick had even been there the night Nick met Jackie, and had been Nick's best man at their wedding. It made Nick ill just to think Warrick had a son that he wouldn't get to raise. It wasn't fair; Warrick would have made a great, loving, and attentive father. Eli would have been one lucky little boy. Now though, Eli would never know his father, and Nick promised that if Tina allowed, Nick would be the father Warrick now couldn't be. Nick knew that if it had been the other way around, Warrick would be right there for Jackie, helping her anyway that he could. That was just the kind of person Warrick was. Nick realized that he couldn't replace Warrick, and he didn't want to, he just wanted to provide a good male role model for Eli to look up to. Nick had even started a college fund for Eli shortly after Warrick's death.

When Tina dropped Eli off, she handed him over to Nick, along with her diaper bag, a phone number in case of an emergency, and said "thanks so much" then she left. Nick sat on the couch with the little guy in his arms and Jackie immediately saw a look of sadness in her husbands' eyes

"What is it Nick?" she asked. "He looks so much like his dad, huh?" He said quietly. "Yes, especially those gorgeous green eyes" she said back.

The baby just grinned at them, eating up the attention. "What do we do with him?" Nick asked, not having very much experience with infants. "Let's see what kind of toys Tina put in the diaper bag" Jackie suggested. Nick got down on the floor with the baby and emptied the diaper bag. "Here let's play with these" Nick said, grabbing some blocks from the diaper bag. Jackie couldn't tell who was enjoying themselves more, Nick or Eli.

Just then the phone rang, "I'll get it" Jackie said, getting up and going into the kitchen. While on the phone Jackie heard Nick yell "ouch" "I have to go, I will call you later" Jackie told her best friend and hung up. She ran into the front room and found Nick rubbing the side of his head. "What happened?" she asked. "The little guy has got a future in the major leagues" Nick said. "Huh?" Jackie asked not understanding at all. "He just threw a block and it hit me right in the head, he has got some power in his arms, that hurt" Jackie couldn't help herself, she had to laugh. Nick looked at the baby and said "alright, enough with the blocks, what else do we have in here?" He rummaged through the diaper bag and found a book.

"How about I read you a story?" He said, and then he added "and if you don't mind, I will hold the book"

The baby cooed as Nick read, but after a while the baby started to get a little fussy. "He is probably hungry" Jackie said as she found some baby food and a spoon in the side pocket of the diaper bag.

"Carrots" Jackie said reading the flavor of baby food. She showed the jar to Nick. He made an ugly face "that looks disgusting" he said. "I was just thinking the same thing" She said back.

They took the baby into the kitchen, and made a makeshift high chair. "Do you want me to feed him, or do you want to?" Jackie asked. "I got it" he said with a smile. So Jackie went over to the sink to do some undone dishes.

Things were going fine, and pretty soon Nick asks "hey babe, how do you know when he is finished eating?" "He won't take anymore, when you try to feed him, he will just keep his mouth closed" she said. "Sounds logical" Nick said.

Jackie's advice seemed logical, but as it turns out Eli found another way to tell Nick he was finished. Nick gave him a bite and instead of swallowing it, Eli spit it right into Nick's eye. Nick jumped up from his chair, "gross" he exclaimed, trying to wipe the orange mesh out of eye. Jackie started laughing hysterically. When she got a hold of herself she looked at Nick and with a mischievous smile she said "honey, I think he is finished." Her husband shot her a dirty look with the one eye he could open and said "very funny" then he added "come take him, I am going to go wash my eye" Jackie went over to the baby and started cleaning him, while Nick went upstairs to the bathroom.

"Nice shot Eli" she whispered, but she wasn't quiet enough, "I heard that" Nick snapped from upstairs. She smiled to herself as she picked Eli up and carried him to the living room.

When Nick came back downstairs the baby just looked at him, Nicky narrowed his eyes at him and said "you not only look like your father, you act like him too." Jackie arched her eyebrow at him "how so?" she asked. "He takes pleasure in aggravating me, just like his dad did" Nick said to her. "Sure Nick and you _never_ aggravated Warrick, did you?" She asked. "Nicky grinned at her. "Nope, never." Jackie just rolled her eyes.

The next hour went by without incident, and then the baby needed a diaper change. Nick picked him up, but Jackie said "here, I'll do it" "No I can do it" Nick protested. "Nick are you sure, I mean things haven't exactly gone well for you today" "I can handle it" Nick insisted. "Ok" Jackie said thinking this was a bad idea. She followed Nick to their bedroom. Nick placed a blanket on the bed and laid Eli down. To Jackie's surprise, Nick did a good job with changing the baby. "See that wasn't so hard" Nick said, his face beaming. Nick's happiness was short lived however, because when he picked the baby up, the diaper fell down to his knees. The baby even seemed shocked, he gave Nick a look that said _"uh dude, I don't think that is suppose to be down there"_

"What in the world" Nick said exasperated. Then added "what kind of diapers does Tina buy" Jackie tried to suppress a smile as she said "I don't think it is the diapers dear" Nick got defensive and said "you watched me change him, I did it right" Jackie went over to him, she grabbed the baby and laid him back down. The baby smiled, which just seemed to add insult to injury for poor Nick. One look at what Nick had done and she figured out what the problem was. "Honey, look at how loose this is, no wonder it fell off" she told him. He responded, "Yeah, I know it's loose, but I didn't want to make it too tight that would hurt, you know?" Then he continued "how would you like it if someone put a diaper on you and it was so tight it rubbed your skin off?" Jackie answered "I wouldn't like it at all, but I also wouldn't like peeing down my leg because my diaper was around my knees." Nick did not find that humorous. "I hadn't realized I married a comedian" He said sarcastically. Jackie just smiled at him as she fixed the diaper so it was where it was suppose to be.

Just as she was getting the baby's outfit back on, the doorbell rang. "That's Tina, go get the door" she told him. "Thank God" Nick muttered, as he left the room. Jackie carried Eli downstairs. Then she and Nick helped Tina gather all of the baby's things. As she walked out the door, she thanked them for babysitting. "No problem, bring him back soon" Jackie said, and then when Tina was out of earshot Nick mumbled "yeah, bring him back in about 3 years." "Nick" Jackie said jabbing him lightly in the ribs, but Nick just grinned at her.

That night as Jackie lay awake, with Nick half asleep next to her, she whispered "Nicky" he didn't answer so she tried again "Nicky" "hmmmm" Nick answered sleepily, not opening his eyes. "Do you want to have a baby?" she asked only half kidding. Nick's eyes flew open "No way" he said rather forcefully. "Why not?" Jackie asked. "Why not, do you really have to ask me that?" Nick said back. Then he continued "I was in charge of a baby for a little over two hours and during that short time he tried to kill me, blind me, and then he practically mocked me, that's why not." Jackie grinned. "But you have to admit he is adorable." "Yes he is" Nick agreed, then added "but that doesn't mean I want one. He finished his speech by saying "goodnight, I will see you in the morning." He then gave her a kiss, and then rolled over and went back to sleep, leaving Jackie awake alone. "_He might change his mind one day_" she told herself, and then she herself went to sleep.


End file.
